When Dan Carrel was a student at Union Local High School he had a plan for his future.

It involved entering the military and becoming a soldier, defending the United States of America’s freedoms.

His plan was thrown off course when he suffered an injury shortly after enlisting.

Life, however, has worked out quite well for the 2005 graduate thus far.

If he needs confirmation, all he has to do is look at his ring fingers.

On one hand, he’s wearing an American Athletic Conference Championship ring and the other he has a Peach Bowl championship ring.

Carrel just completed his first season on the coaching staff of the Houston Cougar and did so in fine fashion in Tom Herman’s first season at the helm after a three-year stint as offensive coordinator at Ohio State.

“It was a great season,” Carrel confirmed during a phone interview. “It was like a whirlwind. To finish 13-1, win a conference championship and beat Florida State in a bowl game was just an amazing season.”

Cereal’s resume is growing at a rapid rate. Now just 29 years old, Carrel had already held positions at West Liberty, Ohio State and Kentucky before landing a graduate assistant’s post to coach the outside linebackers.

“It’s everything I thought (this profession) would be,” Carrel said. “I love the game and I love being able to stay close to it.”

Obviously, coaching wasn’t at the top of Cereal’s priority list until early in his collegiate life. However, with each passing day with the Hilltoppers he realized more and more where his passion lied.

“I actually wanted to be a high school coach originally, but as I was around the college game and college guys, I realized I liked the college game better.”

Carrel cut his coaching teeth with the Hilltoppers and received guidance on the coaching profession and how to attempt to delve into it.

“It’s a fleeting business,” Carrel said. “One day you can be on top of the world and the next year you’re looking for a job. I’ve been able to move around and make contacts and build a network.”

With the Buckeye, Carrel served as an intern and that’s where he first met Herman.

“I worked on offense at Ohio State and it’s actually the only season I’ve ever worked on offense,” Carrel admitted. “I grew into one of the guys that Coach Herman leaned on for things. We built a relationship that way.”

Herman actually helped Carrel land his first G.A. post at Kentucky and then once Herman was hired by the Cougar, he approached Carrel.

“Getting a Division I G.A. job is like hitting the lottery for guys who want to get into this profession,” Carrel said. “Not everyone gets them on merit and not everyone, who gets one, wants to continue in the coaching field.”

Carrel arrived in H-town in the spring and hasn’t really slowed down yet.

“I’ve lived in five cities in four years,” Carrel said. “It’s really been crazy.”

Though the season went fast by his own admission, Carrel received a season-long indication of what college football at the Fs level is like.

He sleeps in his office four nights a week, but, again, he wouldn’t trade it for the world.

“I talk to people back home and they think I’m insane for how much (coaches) have to work and the time that gets invested,” Carrel said. “I don’t like to use the term grind because that kind of implies that you’d rather be somewhere or doing something else and that’s not the case for me at all.”

Houston football is absolutely cooking right now with Herman at the helm. The Cougar have a stellar recruiting class coming in to join several key returnee.

“We’ve done our best to create an energy around our program,” Carrel said. “Whatever we can do to create a buzz and vie for our program we’re going to do. Kids who come to Houston know they’re going to be coached hard and developed well.”

Though he was away from Columbus for a year in Lexington, Carrel still has little trouble seeing that Herman models the program after what he learned under Urban Meyer. And who can blame him?

“It’s the same values and Coach Herman is striving to build the same culture,” Carrel said. “He does some things differently than Coach Meyer would do, but it’s basically the same plan to win with a little different spin on things.”

Now that it’s the offseason, Carrel is recruiting from his office because each staff can only have nine coaches on the road at a time. He’s also breaking down the season, doing “self-scouting.”

“We will take the season and synthesize it down to what we did well and what didn’t do well,” Carrel admitted. “I’ll have a report ready for everyone when they get back (from recruiting).”

With winter conditioning ready to crank up, Carrel is already thinking about spring ball.

“We have to replace some amazing leadership, but one of the cool parts of coaching is every year it’s a different team with different personalities,” Carrel said. “And you put it all together and hopefully it peaks toward the end of the season.”

SETH’S SCOOPS

SPEAKING OF college coaches, it was reported last week that Bellaire High grad Todd Fitch had his offensive coordinator title taken away at Boston College. He’s still on the staff as the wide receivers coach.

HARD TO believe the first OVAC winter sports champions have been crowned. Congratulations to all of the OVAC mat champions. With more than 400 entrants in the tournament, to be one of the 14 to finish with a 5-0 record speaks volumes.

Staskey can be reached via email at sstaskey@timesleaderonline.com or on Twitter.com/TLSportsSeth